Calculating device



H. MULLER.

CALCULATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION men JULY 12, I916.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

Z a 7. I0 I illll lull-Ix UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MULLER, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

CALCULATING DEVICE.

Application filed July 12,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MULLER, a citizen of the United States, residing in East Orange, Essex county, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Calculating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in calculating devices by which multiplications are reduced to sums in addition. The object is to provide a calculator which is equally adapted for general and special purposes, which is exceedingly simple in structure and in use, which avoids the mechanical complications which have characterized prior devices and which besides increasing their cost have limited their usefulness, and which because of these and other special features renders it possible to make a greater variety of calculations more conveniently, expeditiously, and with less opportunity for error than heretofore. A particular object is to enable calculations involving repetitions of the same figures to be performed in the same manner and with equal care and certainty with those which do not. Another particular object is not only to enable the calculating elements to be manipulated in the simplest possiblemann'er, but also and by virtue of the same principles of structure and relation to bring all the lines of figures to be added close together and in their natural order, without the necessity for gaps or spaces in the columns, thereby increasing speed and further decreasing the chances of error. These ends are attained by the combination of a collection of loose calculating sticks or bars, including a suitable number of duplicates of each, with a composing tray in which a selection of said sticks may be assembled in stepped relation and in any order determined by the members to be multiplied or to be divided into percentages, whether such number contains repetitions of the same figures or not. This obviates the necessity for guides and various mechanical features, enables the results of all the calculations to be arrived at in the same simple manner, and makes it possible to have uniform, minimum spacing between the lines of figures, since the sticks are merely laid up one against another. Furthermore the utility of the device is increased, sincethe sticks may be placed in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921. 1916. Serial No. 108,840.

the holder with one or another of their faces exposed, and consequently more than one, or all, of their faces can be and preferably are utilized by providing them with suitable figures. In this way, for example, different faces can be employed for different kinds of work. More than one set of figures may also be placed upon each face.

Further features of the invention relate to a magazine holder and to,a platen, which are organized in one cooperative structure *ith the composing tray, and to the cooperation of the tray with the platen to hold a sheet upon the latter directly below the set-up bars to receive the results of the calculations.

A special application and embodiment of the invention, hereinafter specifically claimed, has particular utility in connection with the business of public service corporations and the like, where amounts are to be split up or apportioned on a percentage basis.

These and other features of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the calculator, with most of the sticks in the magazine and a selection of them in the composing tray arranged for a percentage division of the total represented by the figures at the right; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the calculator with all the sticks in the magazine, dotted lines being used to indicate the movability of the tray for the purpose of permitting the insertion of a sheet of paper, shown in this and the preceding view.

The preferred embodiment of the invention will now be briefly described, it being understood, however, that I do not limit my self to the precise construction selected for illustration.

The'loose calculating sticks a are of ten kinds, designated, respectively, by the pri mary numbers, that is to say the nine digits and naught. These numbers appear at the right hand ends of the sticks, as indicated at Z), and are preferably placed on each face of each stick, or on as many faces thereof as are used. The same numbers also appear at c upon a wall 01, which covers the left hand ends of the sticks when they are in the magazine 6, thus facilitating the placing of the sticks in the proper compartments.

The magazine is preferably of oblong rectangular form, of sufficient depth to hold the The sticks are most desirably made of equal length and rectangular in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 2, any one or all of the four faces being available for figures.

Mounted on the same base it with themagazine and sloping downward and forward from the top thereof, is a board 2', the forward part of which constitutes a platen on which to place a sheet is, while the rear portion supports a composing tray m, located immediately in front of the magazine and between the same and the platen.

The said tray comprises a bottom n, here formed by a sheet of stiff paper, though naturally this may be varied, a stepped left end wall 0, and a straight front wall p. The tray is preferably fastened only at the rear, so that it may be lifted, as if upon a hinge. (see Fig. 2) to permit the edge of the sheet to be inserted and held between its forward portion and the platen. This also permits the sheet to be pushed as far under the tray as maybe desired, in order to cover figures on the sheet which may not be in use at the moment, thus eliminating a possible source of error.

The operative faces of the sticks carry groups of figures '1", representing, for example, frequently used multipliers or percentages. These figures may be printed or impressed upon the sticks by the manufacturer, or the sticks may come blank to be prepared by the user, as by means of rubber stamps,

according to the nature of his work, or part of the faces ma come printed and others blank. For convenience the faces are preferably divided into equal digit-receiving divisions by cross lines 8. The arrangement of the characters is such that upon corresponding faces of all the sticks the primary numbers b and the groups of figures r all occupy the same relative positions. The width of the steps of the end wall 0 being the same as one of the divisions of the sticks, when a suitable number of the latter are laid up in the'inelined composing tray, aszshown in 7 Fig.1, with one end ofeach stick against a corresponding step, so that the digits and ciphers Z) at the right express the number to be multiplied or split up in percentages, the

The numbers '1, 1t will be understood, are

multiples of the constants, multipliers, or percentages which may be employed. Thus on the sticks having the indicator 1 theconstants, multipliers or percentages themselves are set down. On the sticks numbered 2 the numbers 1* are twice as great, on the sticks r umbered 3 three times as great, and so on. i The device may be adapted for a wide variety of work, according to the nature of the figures placed upon the faces of the sticks. Manifestly, different faces may be used for different operations. It is desirable for ready identification to print different'faces in different colors, and if several groups of figures are used upon the same faces such groups may also be distinguished by'diiferent colors. Those faces which are left blank may be finished in such manner that figures placed thereon can be readily erased, to be replaced by others when desired.

A particularly useful form of the invention is one in which the sticks or certain of their faces are provided with groups of figures, corresponding to percentage fractions, into which it may be desired to divide any given amount. For example, the business of a public service corporation may require a total charge for electricity to be divided among a number of towns on a certain percentage basis. For convenience let it be assumed that the percentages are .2516, .1209, .3922, and .2353 (total 100%). These values will then appear on the appropriate face of the stick numbered 1. The sticks bearing successively higher indicators will 7 have these values multiplied to a like degree. Thus the faces of sticks numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4 would appear as follows:

and the others similarly. .Thestick designated by naught would hear ciphers only. Now let it be assumed that the amount 6531 is to be apportioned among four towns according to the foregoing percentages. To

accomplish this the sticks bearing the indicators contained in the amount are laid upon the composing tray in the corresponding order, the result being as follows:

Then the totals of the several columns will give the several percentage portions of the wholein this instance: 16431996 07 89.5979 2561.4582 1536.7443 (grand total 6531). For this class of work it will be observed that it is of great advantage to be able to place a plurality of grou s of figures upon one and the same face. hen this is done the members of the group on one of the set of corresponding faces are in the same ratio as the members of the group on any other face, and corresponding groups on different faces are in the same ratio as the ifndicators appearing at the right of such aces.

While I have described a certain manner of using my invention and a certain mode of inscribing the sticks, it is to be understood that the apparatus may be used for other kinds of calculation and that any groups of figures suitable therefor may be placed upon the sticks. Forsimplicity of illustration a showing of groups of figures 7' upon the sticks in the magazine has been omitted.

Referring to the drawings let it be assumed that the business of a public service corporation requires that a total charge for gas be divided among a number of towns on a certain percentage basis. For convenience let it be assumed that the percentages are .2772, .051865, .0772'75, .14366, etc, the remaining percentages not being indicated in the figure. These values will then appear on the appropriate face of stick No. 1, as shown in the drawing. Stick No. 2 and stick No. 4 bear values double and four times the value given on stick No. 1. If it now be desired to apportion the receipts amounting to $4210, according to the foregoing percentages, the sticks bearing indicators 4, 2, 1 and 0 are laid in the composing tray in the corresponding order as shown upon the drawing. The totals of the several columns as shown by the hand written figures on the tablet 7c in the drawing will then give the several percentage portions of the whole.

What I claim as new is:

1. A calculating device comprising a collection of loose calculating sticks of equal length, and a composing holder having a stepped end adapted to receive a selection of said sticks in any predetermined order.

2. A calculating device comprising a collection of loose calculating sticks of equal length, and an open composing tray having a front wall and a stepped end, wherein the sticks may be placed in any predetermined order one above and against another.

3. A calculating device utilizing a plurality of oblong sticks carrying figures representing percentages, comprising a compartment stick magazine, and a composing tray with a stepped end united with and in front of said magazine, one end of each stick when in use abutting against a corresponding step of the tray.

4. A calculating device, comprising a composing tray with a stepped end wall, and a platen, said composing tray overlying the platen so as to receive a sheet of paper beneath it.

5. A calculator for splitting amounts into percentage portions, comprising a platen, a stepped end wall carried by said platen and a collection of loose sticks numbered with the primary numbers, there being several sticks of each number, and each stick bearing on one face a series of groups of figures constituting products of the predetermined percents by the number of the stick, whereby on assembling selected sticks side by side in stepped relation so that their numbers express an amount to be divided the sums of the several groups give the desired percentage portions of that amount.

6. An article of manufacture comprising a calculating device provided with a stick magazine open at the top, and divided into a plurality of compartments for receiving the calculating sticks, a composing tray in front of said magazine, said tray having a stepped end wall with which said sticks cooperate when making the calculations, and a platen beneath said tray.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY MULLER.

iVitnesses:

JOHN L. IVILLIAM'sON, THoMAs A. DEE. 

